It is now likely that Barrow County will hold a November referendum on whether to change from a "strong chairman" to a "county manager" form of government.

At a Wednesday morning press conference, Gov. Nathan Deal issued his official call of next week’s special legislative session on redistricting. His written proclamation names as one of the purposes of the summer session “enacting, revising, repealing or amending local laws which the General Assembly deems necessary to avoid unreasonable hardship or to avoid undue impairment of public functions if consideration and enactment thereof are postponed.”

Rep. Terry England said that includes such “time-sensitive” bills as Barrow’s, which requires legislative action prior to calling a voter referendum.

England said he expects the bill to easily pass both chambers. The legislation was drafted in June by county attorney Angela Davis and a legislative attorney at the request of the Barrow County Board of Commissioners.

However, any changes to the county's form of government ultimately are in the hands of the people who vote in the Nov. 8 referendum.

If voters approve the proposed changes laid out in the legislation, the role of the next county chairman on January 2013 would be largely ceremonial. He would run BOC meetings but no longer be in charge of the day-to-day operations of the government. Instead, he would work part time and have a salary of $25,000.

He also would lose his veto power, though he would be able to make motions and to vote like any other commissioner. Currently, the chairman can only recommend board actions.

Running the county government’s day-to-day operations instead would be a county manager who would be hired by and report to the BOC. The manager would have the authority to hire and to fire all county employees other than department heads. He would not supervise employees who do not report to the BOC, such as those who work for the Sheriff.

The proposed bill includes most of the recommendations of a Charter Review Committee that was appointed in the spring by the BOC.

The committee held a series of public hearings that drew little public participation, though representatives of the Association County Commissioners of Georgia did attend in order to answer legal and policy questions raised at the meetings. Representatives of the Northeast Georgia Regional Commission served as facilitators.

For more about this issue, check out the Aug. 17 print and e-editions of the Barrow Journal.

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